From a $10 student ticket in North Carolina to jumping off Wild Child
After moving from the non-ski mecca of South Carolina with one ski day under her belt, our lead boot fitter Annabelle Cooper has made a name for herself in the ski industry. If you’ve shopped for boots with us in-store or had a finer question about insoles or boot fitting, you’ve probably run into her. Annabelle is a bonafide badass, forging a path she always saw for herself here out West, going with the flow, and maximizing every opportunity she can get. All while being a kick-butt skier. I wanted to pick her brain on what her secret sauce is (mostly so I can grow up to be like her). Drop into our interview with the woman herself below.
You’re not from around here. How’d you make your way out West?
I moved out here to guide rock climbing and spent my summer working with Colorado Mountain Club. That was summer seasonal work, so I needed a winter gig. That’s how I wound up working up at Loveland. I saw a job for ski instructing the four and five year olds and figured “I can teach”.
In high school, you see people on TV doing these crazy extreme sports like climbing and skiing, and it just feels so otherworldly. It was hard to connect with, and it just felt so out of reach. Younger me would be very proud of where I’m at now.
Had you skied before?
The first time I ever skied was Wolf Ridge (now Hatley Point) at $10 student night, I was probably around 22. I had old skis and boots. I was like “I don’t need rentals!” When I stepped into the skis they started to crumble. It was a mess. I dropped my pole, my gloves, I wasn’t wearing goggles. The lift operators asked me, “have you ever done this before?” and the obvious answer was “nope”. So they told me they’d turn the magic carpet on for me. But I made it down! Then I didn’t ski again for another four years, until I moved out here.
During my interview at Loveland, they told me “we can’t teach you how to teach, but we can teach you how to ski”. Then they dropped me in their crash course and I kept with it. Eventually, I took my PSIA Level 1 and became the supervisor for that four and five year old category.
What was it like being a ski instructor?
I was a ski instructor for about three seasons. Even though they’re the little ones, I learned a lot about skiing with them. I mean, skiing backward, that’s obvious. But also the edge awareness, just knowing where your edges are at and how to weight them. Just literal days on snow helped build the fundamentals. While I was teaching, I was living with two other ski instructors. We skied for work five days a week, then drove up to the hill to ski on our off days. So seven days a week on snow, and you’ll learn pretty quick.
Once I started working at the Loveland Sport Shop, I started to find myself as a skier, getting to ski with the guys up there. They encouraged me to compete in freeride and were really encouraging. I started to explore freeride more and was inspired to find different lines. Doug told me to look up Matchstick Productions and just watch all their videos. And I did, and watching folks like Ingrid Backstrom charge around was really inspiring.
How did you get into boot fitting?
I felt like I wanted to explore other departments at the mountain away from ski instructing. I was also really struggling with my ski boots, so I wound up working at the Sport Shop. They taught me everything about fitting boots, and other techy stuff like how to mount skis.
It was once I got to Powder7 I started to get lots of reps in and seeing lots of customers. I started getting more structured education, going to Masterfit and other clinics.
I really love teaching, and fitting boots is sort of like constantly teaching. Working with a customer you walk them through what to look for and what things should feel like. So it combines my interests in teaching, working with my hands, and helping folks with their boot issues.
You’re one of the most trusted boot fitters at the shop. What do you think is your specialty in boot fitting?
I think it’s listening. I think that comes from years of outdoor education and doing work with people when they’re at their most vulnerable. Taking someone climbing or teaching a kiddo how to ski, they’re in a vulnerable position and they’re sort of looking to you for guidance. I’m used to being in a leadership position in those situations. Bootfitting is also vulnerable. I mean, you’re sharing your feet with a stranger—it’s pretty intimate. Your doctor, your partner, and your boot fitter look at your feet.
It’s also a tricky balance of being confident, yet self-aware. The technical skills of boot fitting are teachable, but having the right people skills is a little less easy to have naturally.
We have a super strong team of female boot fitters here at the shop. What do you think helps contribute to that space?
Powder7 has always had a lot of women working here across the board. I think Powder7 just builds a good culture. You can feel free to ask questions and make mistakes. I’ve worked in places where I’m the only woman working in the technical space, and those don’t always feel like safe place to do those things. Whatever you want to be good at, there’s someone to teach you.
What do you love about working in the ski industry? What do you hate?
I hate that its seasonal. But I also love that it’s seasonal and I can have a break. I also love the community and the people you connect with. You can find so many like minded people, we don’t have to do all the same thing all the time, but we’re all passionate about the mountain and the skiing.
What advice do you have for aspiring ski professionals?
Be willing to work any job in the industry. Whatever gets you access to being on snow the most. Being willing to do something out of your box. If you can get days on snow.
Hot take questions:
Spring skiing or powder?
Spring skiing.
Best way to stay warm on the hill?
Shout out to Thermics: Thermic boot heaters. Thermic for life. And a good pair of mittens.
Best boot fitting hack?
Well-made footbeds.
Do you listen to tunes while riding?
Back and forth, depending on the day. Funky bass music.
